NATALIE’S POVI couldn’t believe his audacity.Of course, I could. It was Anthony.But still—pulling out of the Preston deal? Taking his investment out of their media group? That wasn’t a business move. That was personal.I woke to hysterics echoing through the marble halls of my home. Screaming. Crying. Shoes thudding against tile. The kind of chaos that didn’t belong in a house this expensive.“HE PULLED OUT!” Yasmin shrieked, voice echoing even through the thick walls. “And do you know what happens when Anthony Möller pulls his money out?! Everyone follows!!”I rolled my eyes from the staircase, still clutching a mug of warm milk. I hadn’t even had my tea yet. Morning sickness had barely let me function for the past three days, and now this.Yasmin was pacing like a woman possessed, but still dressed primly in tailored black shorts, a $300 white tank top, and a gold belt. “Yasmin, you need to calm down,” I said flatly, walking past her toward the lounge.She ignored me and kept g
ELISHA’S POVI’d just finished checking up a quiet little girl named Asha, who had the biggest, most soulful eyes and a habit of whispering answers to every question.“You’re all set,” I said, handing her mom the dietary handout and smiling down at Asha. “No more marshmallows for breakfast, okay?”Asha gave me a shy nod and ducked behind her mother’s coat. Her mom mouthed a grateful “thank you” and led her out.As I turned to wipe down my desk, I noticed someone mopping the hallway floor just outside my room. She moved with this unbothered kind of rhythm—like she was in her own world, somewhere far away from the sterile buzz of the clinic. Her face was turned down, but something about her posture, her hair, tugged at me.I squinted.Then I blinked.“I know you,” I said, stepping out of the doorway.The woman looked up, startled at first. Then her brows lifted in recognition. “Oh. Yeah… the charity ball.”“The girl with Zane,” I said. She let out a small laugh. “Yeah… you tried to sav
ELISHA’S POV“What a small world,” Elijah laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, I’ve got a consult in like five minutes for Penny… with the nutritionist.”“Oh…” I blinked, still trying to wrap my head around the coincidence.“Yeah,” Ethan cut in, pointing a thumb toward me, “that’s her. She’s the new nutritionist at the clinic.”Elijah looked between us and grinned. “You’re kidding.”“I’m not.”“Crazy again,” he said, chuckling. “Well, lead the way, Doctor.”I led them down the hall to my office, still dazed. Penny skipped beside Elijah, her little hand swinging freely in his. When we entered the room, she made a beeline for the exam bed and climbed up like it was her throne.“Are you gonna poke me with anything?” she asked, eyes wide.I smiled. “Nope. Not today. I just want to talk about what you eat.”She looked relieved. “Okay, but I still don’t like broccoli.”“Duly noted.”Elijah sat across from me, arms crossed casually. “We got her allergy panel done last month, and t
ELISHA’S POVAs soon as I got home, I went straight to the drawer under my kitchen counter and fished out the card Robert had given me weeks ago. I hadn’t touched it since the day he slipped it into my palm, with one of those rare, brief smiles that made you feel like he believed in you more than you believed in yourself.I read the card. DR. ELIZABETH FISCHER. PRIVATE PEDIATRIC AND NUTRITIONAL CARE. INDEPENDENT CLINIC.That last part mattered most. It meant she wasn’t under Anthony’s payroll. It meant my hours, my lab access, my patient interactions—none of it could be monitored by him. None of it could be threatened. Not by him. Not by anyone.Without another thought, I dialed.A woman’s voice answered on the second ring. Warm. Alert. Calm.“Dr. Fischer speaking.”I introduced myself. Told her who had referred me. Mentioned my background in clinical nutrition and childhood metabolic studies. She asked me two follow-up questions—just two—and then invited me to stop by the clinic t
ELISHA’S POV“Where the hell are you taking me?” I shouted, my voice tight with panic.The driver didn’t look back. “Calm down, miss. It’s the penthouse.”“I will not calm down! Let me out this instant!”“Miss…” he said, with a quiet desperation, “you know I can’t do that.”I glared at the back of his head. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his grip tightened on the wheel when I raised my voice. He was scared—not of me, but of Anthony. The car turned onto familiar roads. My anger dropped into something heavier. Something colder.I sat back, pressed my cheek to the window. The glass was cool. My skin was too warm. I felt like I was slipping in and out of a dream I didn’t ask to be part of. The streets blurred past, sterile and bright in the city night.When did it all get… too much? Anthony didn’t know how to be still. If he wasn’t chasing something, he didn’t feel alive. If he wasn’t the center of gravity, he didn’t know where he stood.I did.On the edge. Always on
ANTHONY’S POVMy birthday party wasn’t really for me.It never was. These things were performative—strategic—gatherings for those who wanted to be seen and those who wanted to see me. The guests cared more about their reflections in the mirrored walls than the man the evening was supposed to be about.Elisha was the only one who ever treated my birthday like an actual birthday. The cake, the picnics, the balloons, the small, intimate, meaningful gifts. A slow voice dragged me back.“Anthony.”“Hello, Dad.” I lifted my glass just slightly, mocking the civility neither of us believed in.“I’d like you to meet someone—”“Dad, please. The divorce papers aren’t even cold yet.”He stepped closer. “A man like you can’t afford to be unmarried for long. The world watches. A family needs assurance. Stability.”I laughed dryly. “Grandad prefers Elisha,” I said, hoping he’d drop the matter. His lips thinned. “My father can be… a romantic.”He said that with venom, not admiration. “In any case,